Europ. Countrys. · Vol. 12 · 2020 · No. 3 · p. 312-332 DOI: 10.2478/euco-2020-0018 European Countryside MENDELU TRADITIONAL SERBIAN COUNTRYSIDE AND SECOND-HOME TOURISM PERSPECTIVES Aleksandra Terzić1, Marija Drobnjaković2, Biljana Petrevska3 1 Terzić Aleksandra, PhD., Senior Research Associate, Geographical Institut “Jovan Cvijić” of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade, Serbia, e-mail: [email protected], ORCID: 0000-0002.0272-696X 2 Marija Drobnjaković, PhD., Research Associate, Geographical Institut “Jovan Cvijić” of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade, Serbia, e-mail: [email protected] 3 Biljana Petrevska, PhD., Fulltime Professor, Faculty of Tourism and Business Logistics, Goce Delčev University – Štip, North Macedonia; e-mail: [email protected], ORCID: 0000-0002-1238-4158 312/447 Received 31 January 2020, Revised 22 March 2020, Accepted 1 April 2020 Abstract Rural tourism offers opportunity to local communities to oppose the process of rural abandonment. This study assesses the tourism potential of two almost depopulated villages in Serbia, Gostuša (Pirot) and Poganovo (Dimitrovgrad), and identifies their second-home tourism perspectives. They have similar geo-demographic characteristics, but different development patterns. A practical understanding of residents’ perception was gained along with identifying the socio-economic indicators. A comprehensive comparison is made to identify the diversification level of the rural economy in these villages. The study also assesses the rural capital and concludes that it is not realistic to expect fast and sustainable tourism development in these peripheral rural areas. Finally, the study extracts the factors of influence and predicts trends of the diversification process and second-home tourism expansion in rural areas of Balkan Mt. Key words: rural tourism, second-home tourism, traditional villages, evaluation Сажетак: Рурални туризам, нуди локалним заједницама могућност супротстављања процесу напуштања села. Ова студија врши процену туристичких потенцијала два готово напуштена села у Србији, Гостуше (Пирот) и Поганова (Димитровград), и идентификује перспективе развоја викенд туризма кроз експанзију секундарних домова. Ова села имају сличне географске и демографске карактеристике, али различите развојне праксе. Практично разумевање перцепција становништва је вршено упоредо са идентификацијом социо-економских индикатора од утицаја на туристички развој. Компарација је извршена са циљем да се идентификује ниво диверзификације руралне економије ових села. Студија такође укључује оцену руралног капитала, на основу чега се закључује да се не може очекивати брзи и одрживи туристички развој овог периферног руралног простора. Коначно, издвојени су фактори који утичу и предвиђају тренд диверзификације и експанзије викенд туризма на руралним просторима Старе планине. Кључне речи: рурални туризам, викенд насеља, традиционална села, оцена стања 1. Introduction Majority of European population live in urban areas, while rural areas in Europe experience long-lasting depopulation trend (Kotzeva & Brandmüller, 2016). In this regard, “second home” is becoming a dominant real-estate type in ‘empty’ villages of Europe. Economic collapse and global changes lead to a situation where many rural areas are coping with existential problems. So, the rural economy in most European countries faced the need to find productive alternatives in fighting low production and incomes, abandonment, and ecological contamination. The economy transformation brought structural changes in agricultural production, higher unemployment and poverty levels, leading to extreme levels of emigration of the youngest, the most active and educated reproductive groups, and therefore eroded the vitality of villages and rural communities (Petrevska & Terzić, 2020). Rural communities in peripheral rural areas, therefore, face many challenges. Less than 50% of farms in European union earn majority of their income from farm production, while 35–75% comes from off-farm jobs (Sznajder et al., 2009). Diversification is generally recognized as a strategy for decreasing livelihood vulnerability, representing a process by which rural households construct an increasingly diverse portfolio of activities and assets in order to survive or improve their livelihoods (Elis, 2000; Niehof, 2004). In those areas where traditional primary production, such as farming and fishing, is in decline, the existence of local resources, heritage and culture provide the possibility for tourism development that can contribute to job creation and rise of the living standard of small rural communities (Fleisher & Falsenstien, 2000; 313/447 MacDonald & Jolliffe, 2003). However, developing tourism in rural areas is still generally related to the resilience strategy of a single household, focusing on the factors that create the ability of the farm to respond to the change. Most farm-tourism businesses are family businesses on small farms, whose decisions depend on the family life-cycle concept, which can generate supplementary income to retain family farmland (Potočnik-Slavič & Smitz, 2013). Rural tourism is particularly attractive to European travelers seeking authentic, unique experiences and local lifestyles, natural and preserved landscapes, local traditions and gastronomy. Since the number of tourists attracted to rural areas is constantly growing, rural areas can be severely threatened (Hall, 2004). Instead of highly uniformed and fabricated “rural tourism product”, the demand growth is directed towards seeking authenticity and originality of rural destinations. Therefore, the traditional countryside is changing fast, physically and psychologically, adapting to urban-vision and demands, thus evidencing a fast-cultural change in rural areas. Specific rural amenities become highly valued in terms of achieving better living conditions (Deller, 2010; McGranahan et al., 2011; Јоsipović, 2018), and becoming attractive for elders, pensioners and returnees. A large proportion of rural stays, on the other hand, generate low expenditure on accommodation, as visitors staying in rented accommodation are in the minority (about 10%). So, the main purpose of stay in rural areas tends to be a visit to family and friends, or a stay at second homes (Bel et al., 2015). Developing tourism, particularly in small traditional villages, is a new economic opportunity for local communities, opposing the ongoing rural abandonment. Such a process is also evident in peripheral high-mountain villages in South-east Serbia, where the trend of the seasonal revitalization of villages through second-home tourism is appearing as of 2002. The study aims to assess tourism potential and second-home tourism perspectives, by examining villages in Balkan Mt. area, with a focus set on two almost depopulated villages. In this manner, it identifies the diversification level of the rural economy, extracts significant factors of influence of tourism development and assesses the rural capital. It highlights that it is not realistic to expect fast and sustainable tourism development of traditional Serbian countryside, despite its great potential. 2. Literature review 2.1 Rural vs Cultural tourism: Parallels and Paradigms Recently, a focus has been put on the high tourism consumption patterns with extreme growth of “special interest tourism” (SIT), reflecting the continuously increasing diversity of leisure interests of the late-modern leisure society (Douglas et al., 2001; Trauer, 2006) and suggesting non-commercialized individual travel. Various authors explain the emergence of SIT by a desire for achieving a greater level of quality of life and escape contemporary urban life as traditionally major push factors for travel (Trauer, 2006). This led to the creation of various tourism typologies in various SIT segments, like cultural tourism, educational tourism, cycle tourism, wine tourism, event tourism, sports tourism, adventure tourism, senior tourism, eco-tourism, rural tourism, agri-tourism, etc. Cultural tourism refers to the tourist's engagement with a country, region or local culture, more specifically the lifestyles, history, art, architecture, religion, customs, traditions, gastronomy and other elements that shape the way of living in a specific geographical area. It includes tourism in urban areas with a high concentration of cultural sites, monuments and facilities, but it also includes tourism in rural areas as places of old traditions, social practices, and festivities. Rural tourism focuses on active participation in a rural lifestyle, an exploration of the indigenous population and their respective culture and traditions, often closely connected to nature and environment (Mohnacki, 2017). Cultural tourism is expected to continue its growth in the future, increasing diversity of cultural demand and supply, shifting towards intangible heritage and “soft cultural infrastructure”, refocusing from urban to rural areas, from “high culture” to “living culture” (Richards, 2018). Moreover, cultural experiences and interaction with locals are becoming increasingly popular, as tourists increasingly want to “live like a local” which became the new touchstone of experiencing the authenticity of destination (Richards, 2018). 314/447 The rural tourism’s wider conceptualization suggests that it may be more commonly accepted as any form of tourism in a rural area, placing a focus on activities that contrast with the ‘pure’ product (Sharpley & Roberts, 2004) of agri-tourism